Download A Day in the Life - Mrs. Moore

A Day in the Life
Role Play
What was life like for ancient Mesopotamians? The answer to this question might
vary depending on one’s social class, gender, or both. In this activity, your class
will work together to form a “living museum” that depicts daily life in ancient
Mesopotamia. You will use historical evidence to build your exhibit.
Part I. Introduction
1. Study this picture, which shows captured enslaved people working in
Mesopotamia during Assyrian rule.
Captured slaves work in an Assyrian quarry. IRC, 2005. Discovery
Education. Web.
2. What does this picture tell you about life for enslaved persons in
Mesopotamia? Whom did enslaved persons have to answer to? How
did they spend their time? Spend three minutes on a “stop and jot,”
writing a few quick ideas about life of enslaved persons in
Mesopotamia.
Part II. Select a Social Class from Mesopotamia and Complete
Research
1. In this activity, you will imagine you are a young man or women living
in a Sumerian city-state. Your team will create a “living museum”
statue showing a scene from the daily lives of people in a specific social
class. The scene will not only depict your class’s activities, but life in
the city-state around you. Choose one of the social groups below and be
sure to assign a gender role you will play, if not already specified:
 King
 Son or daughter of a government official
 Priest or priestess in training
 Scribe
 Farmer
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A Day in the Life
Role Play
2. Review the comparison chart you completed as you read the Core
Interactive Text and viewed the optional video segments in the
EXPLORE tab of Mesopotamian Society. What information did you
glean about life for the person in the social class you chose?
3. Review the following text and video segments about Mesopotamian
Society to learn more about the social group you chose.
Religion and the Ruling Class of the Ancient Sumerians
This video segment describes the impact of religion on government in
ancient Mesopotamia.
The Role of Scribes in Ancient Sumerian Society
The importance of scribes to ancient Mesopotamia’s ruling class is
discussed in this video segment.
Agricultural Technology
This video segment explores the ways in which ancient Mesopotamian’s
prevented their fields from flooding.
Development of the Mesopotamian City-State
The growth and development of city-states in Mesopotamia are explored
in this video segment.
Reading Passage: A Day in the Life: Life in Mesopotamia
This reading passage describes the events involved in the daily lives of an
ancient Mesopotamian.
4. In the graphic organizer on the following page, take notes on the
content of the text and video segments. Use the questions to guide your
note taking.




What tasks do members of this social group complete on a daily
basis?
With what other social classes do members from this group interact?
Why?
How does gender affect opportunities for members from this social
group in ancient Mesopotamia?
How do members of other social groups perceive members from this
social group? Are members from this group well respected by
members of other social groups? Why or why not?
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A Day in the Life
Role Play
Social Class and Role: _____________________________
What tasks do members of this
social group complete on a daily
basis?
With what other social classes do
members from this group interact?
Why?
How does gender affect
How do members of other social
opportunities for members from this groups perceive members from this
social group in ancient
social group?
Mesopotamia?
Based on your research, summarize what daily life is like for this social
group.
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A Day in the Life
Role Play
Part III. Create Your Living Museum
1. Use the information you have in your notes to work with classmates to
create a living museum scene from the perspective of the ancient
Mesopotamian whom you have researched. To create your living
museum, your groups should complete the following steps:
 Work as a group to write a short summary of the scene the group
will depict. Describe where the scene will take place, what each
character will be doing, and how the characters will (or will not)
interact with one another.
 Write a paragraph as a group explaining why you chose to re-create
this scene.
 Each individual member of the group should prepare a profile for
his or her character that answers the following questions from the
character’s perspective in the scene:
 What am I doing right now? Why?
 What tasks do I complete on a daily basis?
 What is my family like?
 Whom do I talk to and interact with?
 Where do I live? What is my home like? Do I do all the
household chores? Or do I have a staff working for me?
 What rights and responsibilities do I have?
2. After you complete your living museum scene, write a paragraph
explaining your work.
 Did your scene provide an accurate picture of life in Mesopotamian
society? Why or why not?
 What did your scene show about the social hierarchy in
Mesopotamian society?
 Which society would you prefer to live in: Mesopotamian society or
modern-day society? Explain.
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